Electric powered components are commonly used in areas remote from a power source. One such use is in irrigation systems for properly irrigating areas of grass, trees, flowers, crops and other types of vegetation. In a typical irrigation system, these components include, for example, valves, controllers, sensors and communication devices. For example, in a typical valve setup, a solenoid is energized to open the valve, which enables water flow through the irrigation conduit downstream of the valve. On the controller side, a remote controller, for example, may communicate with a main controller to receive information, transmit information and calculate and execute watering schedules.
Physical wiring is commonly used to supply electricity from a base source to the remotely located component. Wire is often installed by laying the wire in the trench dug to install the water pipe. Cost associated with wiring includes the cost of the wire itself, cost of holding the wire in inventory, and the labor of handling the wire, making the connections with the system, and where local codes require it, the cost associated with inspection and approval. Eliminating the need for wiring can result in significant installation savings for irrigation contractors.
An alternative to physical wiring is to use a battery system. In this arrangement, each component requiring power would have its own battery. This alleviates the need for physically wiring between each component and to the base power supply. A shortcoming, however, with this approach is that it requires frequent battery changes due to the limited charge and lifespan of the batteries. Depending on the frequency of use, the batteries can require changing every year, and this process can involve unearthing irrigation components, which results in additional labor time and unsightly damage to the irrigation area.
Accordingly, there is a need for being able to supply irrigation components in the field with electrical power that does not have the shortcomings of requiring the expense of physical wiring or frequent battery changes. The present invention addresses these needs and provides further related advantages.